son; that the same God who had promised him that in Isaac all the
nations of the earth should be blessed, should command him to put to
death that very son upon whom all his hopes depended! Fearful,
indeed, must have been the struggle in Abraham's mind, but the good
and the right thought conquered at last. His feeling was, no doubt,
'This God who has blessed me so long, who has guided me so long,
whom I have obeyed so long, shall I not trust Him a little further
yet? how can I believe that He will do wrong? how can I believe that
He will lead me wrong? If it is really wrong that I should kill my
son, He will not let me do it: if it really is His will that I
should kill my son, I WILL DO IT. Whatever He says must be right;
it is agony and misery to me, but what of that? Do I not owe Him a
thousand daily and hourly blessings? Has He not led me hither,
preserved me, guided me, taught me the knowledge of Himself,--chosen
me to be the father of a great nation? Do I not owe Him everything?
and shall I not bear this sharp sorrow for His sake? I know, too,
that if Isaac dies, all my hope, all my joy, will die with him; that
I shall have nothing left to look for, nothing left to work for in
this world. Nothing! shall I not have God left to me? When Isaac
is dead will the Lord die? will the Lord change? will He grow weak?--
Never! Years ago did He declare to me that He was the Almighty
God; I will believe that He will be always Almighty; I will believe
that though I kill my son, my son will be still in God's hands, and
I shall be still in God's hands, and that God is able to raise him
again, even from the dead. God can give him back to me, and if He
will NOT give him back to me, He can fulfil His promises in a
thousand other ways. Ay, and He will fulfil His promises, for in
Him is neither deceit, nor fickleness, nor weakness, nor
unrighteousness of any kind; and, come what will, I will believe His
promise and I will obey His will.'